YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Within the frames of the Bulgarian President’s state visit to Armenia, extended format talks with the participation of the delegations of Armenia and Bulgaria were held in the Armenian Presidential Palace after the private meeting of Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Rumen Radev, the Armenian Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The talks were followed by a signing ceremony of documents aimed at expanding and deepening the bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Bulgaria in a number of fields.

In particular, the agreements on Mutual Protection of Confidential Information, on Cooperation in the spheres of Information Technologies and Communication between the Armenian and Bulgarian governments, the agreement on Regulation of Labor Migration between Armenia and Bulgaria, as well as the practical program on 2018-2020 Cooperation in the sphere of Culture between the Culture Ministries of Armenia and Bulgaria were signed.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev summed up the meeting results with statements for mass media representatives.

The two Presidents answered the questions of the reporters.

Statement by President Serzh Sargsyan for mass media after meeting with President Rumen Radev of the Republic of Bulgaria

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I once again welcome Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and the members of his delegation to Yerevan. This is your first visit to the Republic of Armenia, I am sure that it will go a long way toward boosting bilateral interstate relations and giving fresh impetus to our cooperation based on strong historical-cultural ties.

I wish to state with satisfaction that the talks with President Radev went off in a warm atmosphere. We had a substantive discussion on our bilateral cooperation agenda and touched upon a number of international issues of mutual interest.

We reaffirmed our mutual commitment to strengthening relations and agreed to make additional efforts to step up bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Armenia and Bulgaria as evidenced by the documents signed today between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Bulgaria that will complement the legal-contractual framework which features over 50 agreements.

I certainly took the opportunity to congratulate my counterpart on Bulgaria’s assuming the presidency of the EU Council and wish them fruitful work.

The European Union is one of Armenia’s most important partners, so this is another direction where there are great prospects for deepening the Armenian-Bulgarian cooperation. I expressed the hope that along with other issues, Bulgaria’s chairmanship in the EU Council will promote the ongoing visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia.

We hailed our countries’ close cooperation on the international platforms, which is especially manifested in the mutual support with UN structures. We are keen to enhance our multilateral cooperation in the same spirit.

Of course, we discussed economic issues as well. We were pleased to state that the bilateral trade turnover has recorded tangible growth in recent years. At the same time, I should note that the potential is much greater, and we must work in agriculture, tourism and in many other spheres with a view to implementing new initiatives, including in the field of communications.
We also noted with satisfaction Bulgarian business circles’ increased interest in our country’s economic opportunities. I mean Armenia’s membership of EAEU, the new EU-Armenia partnership framework, and the opportunities available in the free economic zones being set up in the country. We both mentioned the importance of enhancing cultural ties and promoting human contacts.

I consider it our moral duty to foster and strengthen the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Bulgarian peoples. By the way, Mr. Radev, I am happy for your willingness to visit the TUMO creative center. I am hopeful that your visit will be impressive and will give birth to new ideas of cooperation.

Indeed, we touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this regard, I highlighted our partners’ support of the process underway in the OSCE Minsk Group format, which is in line with the general position of the European Union.

It is important that the RA-EU framework agreement stipulates EU’s full support of Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts and the proposed principles of settlement.

Mr. President, I would certainly call our meeting productive. We will have the opportunity to speak about the development of our relations over the course of the day, as well as tomorrow. I do hope that the Armenian-Bulgarian political dialogue and the ongoing multifaceted cooperation will be further enhanced and developed thanks to already established preconditions.

Also, I reaffirmed my invitation for my counterpart to take part in the Armenia-hosted Francophonie Summit this fall and, respectively, I accepted with great pleasure Mr. President’s invitation to visit friendly Bulgaria.

***
Statement by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev for mass media outlets after meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan

Dear Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I want to thank you on behalf of our delegation for your invitation to visit your wonderful country, as well as for the warm welcome.

I want to emphasize that the relations between our two countries are not merely traditional; they are first of all friendly, because our two nations have deeply rooted historical and cultural ties, sympathy and mutual respect, as well as commonality of fate.

The purpose of my visit is not only to activate our contacts at the highest political level, but also to discuss the development of cooperation in all areas of interest.

It is important for us to have some progress in a number of areas. My delegation features many representatives from both the business community and Parliament.

Our peoples look forward to building closer and more effective ties of cooperation. We are bound by duty to do so, and we are here today to develop partnerships.

Together with President Sargsyan we discussed bilateral relations, expressed satisfaction with the stability of our economic relations over the past ten years, but at the same time, we consider that the commodity turnover is still far from being satisfactory. We can upgrade it to encompass ever new areas of cooperation.
I am pleased to note that we started working early this morning: small and medium-sized businesses and employers are already working together and, as far as I can understand, they have reached an agreement to hold a major business forum in Burgas this June, involving businessmen from both countries. During the visit, a memorandum will be signed between the employers of the two countries, which can be described as a major breakthrough.

Together with the President of Armenia, we concurred in that our countries are of strategic importance and, therefore, we need to make a better use of it; we should avail ourselves of the Gulf Coast-Black Sea corridor to develop our relationship. In this regard, I welcome Mr. Sargsyan’s idea to organize a meeting of transport ministers of all concerned countries. In other words, the logistical opportunities we have in the field of transport and other areas must be used to develop economic intercourse.

I appreciate the signing of agreements, especially the labor migration arrangement signed by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. The other agreements are very important, too, including the documents on cultural cooperation and confidential information, which imply a new level of relationship and overhaul.

We welcome the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement signed by Armenia with the EU because it may open up a great opportunity to develop economic relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between our two economies.

We also talked about the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which is important not only for Armenia, but also for the entire region.

I wish to remind that Bulgaria has declared the question of Western Balkans to be one of its key priorities during its EU presidency. But our country is likewise committed to implementing the Eastern Partnership Program, as well as developing the Black Sea region and the Caucasus.

I want to note that we have very good relationships in education and culture. What we have discussed today with you, Mr. President, may give new impetus to those relationships.

Finally, I would like to remind that the Armenian community has not only preserved its national identity in Bulgaria, but has integrated harmoniously with the Bulgarian society, being represented in our country’s cultural and scientific life. They are a living bridge between our two nations, which has to be strengthened.

Thanking you once again for a warm reception, I deeply believe that this visit will give new impetus to bilateral relations and will be mutually beneficial

Thank you.